The Stroke Of Twelve
by ToKissTheRoses
Summary: In which there is an abundance of fluff, Tana sings, Ephraim acts like a giddy teenager in love, and Innes takes things the wrong way. This is a oneshot drabble thing.


_Author's Note: I own nothing! NOTHING! D: If I did, EirSeth would be way more imminent in the cutscenes, and so would Ephraim x Tana. And Joshua x Natasha. And Franz x Amelia... drabbles on for, like, a day and a week  
Mmkay. Well, I like Innes in this fic. "DAMNIT, EPHRAIM!" XD Gotta love Protective-brother!Innes... I guess it doesn't help that it's Ephraim, his dramatic ETERNAL RIVAL. Hehe. Well... Enjoy this fluffy, drabble-esque oneshot. :3 I'll be doing some more Ephie and Tana (lol ephie. I should have her call him that... :D) later, so look for it  
3 Teh author-ness, ToKissTheRoses_

Tana laughed with glee. Achaeus, her Pegasus, flew in a corkscrew down to the surprised soldier. Tana took advantage of it, and ran him through with her lance, pulling it out and twirling it. She took to the air once again, did a victory loop-the-loop, and went back to spearing anyone who dared to challenge her.

Ephraim watched her, occasionally fighting off a soldier or two. She looked so graceful in the air, her navy blue ponytail floating (or so it seemed) in the air behind her. She saw him and waved, and Ephraim jerked back to fighting a soldier. She was laughing at him from the air.

Tana saw the Prince of Renais watching her fly. He had been doing that lately, and even though she didn't act like it, it made her nervous and giddy. She'd always had a crush on him-- his wry humor around his friends, the way he always messed with his hair if he was nervous… The way he never noticed her, just competed with Innes… But lately, that was changing. It was nice, she thought, and then loop-the-looped, slashing a soldier with her lance at the end.

The battle was over, finally. Tana and Eirika hugged, and Tana high-fived her brother. Ephraim and she just left each other alone, except for a "good job". Eirika commented about it later, but Tana waved her off, preferring to daydream about her blue-haired, princely crush.

Achaeus whinnied at her, at nearly midnight. Tana was still awake, and not in her pajamas -- albeit she didn't have her armor on-- so she climbed onto the Pegasus's back and let him take her up into the night sky.

Ephraim yawned. "Ugh… I can't sleep…" he grumbled to himself, "I'll just walk around camp a couple of times, and maybe I'll be tired then."

He stood up, yawned, and left the tent. He'd just passed Forde's tent when he saw a shape in the sky-- a Pegasus. And who could that be on its back but Tana, who was holding her arms out to her sides, her eyes closed, and was singing something. He caught the drift of some of it, barely, and said to himself, "Tana has a very pretty voice… Why doesn't she sing more often?"

Tana was enjoying herself. She had her eyes closed, and was finishing singing a Frelian folk song, about the Frelian Pegasus Knights, that she had learned from a minstrel.

"… So call for those on wyverns, and those with armor'd helms, and call for those who ride astride the flying horse to tell; let trumpets sound and drums beat on, for we ride towards the fight, let trumpets sound and drums beat on, we rule the skies tonight."

She hugged the Pegasus, smiling, and Ephraim grinned. Tana looked down at the camp and nearly fell off the Pegasus when she noticed Ephraim. She immediately landed, and poked her finger into his chest. "You weren't supposed to hear me singing! I don't sing well in front of people! Ugh, why? What did I do? That was my secret! I hate it when people hear me sing--"

He held up his hands. "Tana, you sing beautifully. That was a Frelian song, right? I think I've heard it…"

She nodded. "Thanks… Yeah, it was one that I heard from a minstrel at Court once. Isn't it pretty?"

"Very." Ephraim agreed, and he took her hand. "Hey, Tana, come see this-- I found this pond a little ways into the forest and I think you'd find it pretty."

Tana smiled. "Okay." She let him lead her into the overgrown forest, and she was impressed-- he found paths through it easily. In a few minutes, Ephraim grinned. "See?" He stepped to the side.

Tana saw a little clearing, with a small pond in the center of it. A log floated in it, and a few turtles were sleeping on it. A heron stood still at the edge of the water, in the cattails. Tana gasped. "It's so beautiful! How did you find this?"

Ephraim shrugged. "I was bored, and I took a walk through the forest here."

The prince sat down underneath a tree, and leaned back. "It's almost easier to sleep here than in the tents… it's nice and cool out here."

Tana nodded and sat next to him, still entranced by the pond. "Yeah…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Seth had thrown the camp into all-out chaos. "Eirika! I mean, Princess! Have you seen Prince Ephraim and Princess Tana?! I cannot find them anywhere!"

Eirika rubbed her eyes, having just been woken up. "Wha?"

Seth left her alone and resumed waking the camp up to search for the two missing royals.

The two in question had fallen asleep at the pond, with Tana's head on Ephraim's shoulder. In his sleep, he had put his arm around her, and they made a pretty picture, asleep underneath the trees. They weren't woken up by the noise from the camp, and slept on undisturbed.

Finally, someone had the idea to search in the forest. Eirika and Innes led the party, and it was Vanessa who noticed a clearing-- could that have been a flash of blue? The Falcoknight told this to Eirika and Innes, respectively, who eventually found a deer trail. The trail in question was truthfully the one that Ephraim and Tana had traveled, so when it abruptly ended, Eirika stifled a giggle. "Innes, look-- I found them!"

Innes was about ready to roar at his sister, but when he saw the two royals asleep underneath a tree, he could only stutter. "W-wha-- what is t-that damn E-ephraim doing with my s-sister?!"

Eirika was giggling profusely, thinking that the scene was completely adorable. She ran back into camp, yelling, "We found them!"

A few people trickled behind Eirika to shout at the "lost" Ephraim and Tana. The girls, like Eirika, collapsed into hysterical giggling when they found the clearing, and the boys just shrugged it off. (Except, of course, for Innes, who was about done stuttering and almost ready to yell at his rival.)

Ephraim was rudely awakened by a shout. "DAMNIT, EPHRAIM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER?!"

Tana woke with a jolt, and then noticed the position she was in-- her head on Ephraim's shoulder, and his arm around her waist. She turned a pale pink and looked at Ephraim. The prince was obviously trying to figure out what to say, and failing. Tana volunteered information first. "Well, we were sleeping, Innes. Thanks a lot."

"SO YOU SLEPT WITH HER?!" roared Innes, who was steadily turning red.

Tana dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter, while Ephraim was left to fend off the Prince of Frelia. "N-no, that's not what she meant! I showed her the pond here, and we fell asleep! It was, like, midnight! Good god, Innes! No, wait, put the bow down! Put the bow down, Innes!!"

Tana wiped her eyes, and sat up so that she was in front of the Prince of Renais. "Innes, no- don't! I **like** Ephraim!"

Ephraim turned beet red, while Innes reluctantly lowered his bow. "Tana… Come on. I have to at least duel him for the right to court you!"

Tana laughed, while Ephraim yelled, "I could beat you, easy! Bring it on!"

Eirika pulled Tana out of the line of fire. "Oh, let them. You know Ephraim wouldn't change anything, even if he lost. And, if I may ask, when did _this_ happen?"


End file.
